Arsenal boss Unai Emery has handed the captain’s armband to midfielder Granit Xhaka and this decision has brought in a lot of negative criticism.
With both Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey leaving the club during the summer, everyone was eagerly waiting to see who the next captain of the club was. And very honestly the name of Granit Xhaka has disappointed a number of people.
But speaking to the media earlier this week, the manager explained as to why he chose to give Granit Xhaka this massive responsibility.
Unai Emery said: “I talked to him and we want to change that opinion outside because the respect he has inside is very important.
“But also to show outside, keep moving ahead, playing, improving, behaviour, commitment and in each match is for him, me and for everybody a very good opportunity to show his capacity.
“But really, I trust and believe in him. He is a good man, good professional, good player.”
But according to Martin Koewn, Emery should have chosen Pierre Emerick Aubameyang as the new captain instead of Granit Xhaka.
Martin Koewn told talkSPORT: “This is a massive call and I think perhaps he [Emery] has got it wrong.
“This is really going to divide the fans. There are times when Xhaka goes missing in midfield, he’s given penalties away… he must be an incredible character off the pitch!
“It’s surprising, particularly how he was booed off the pitch less than a week ago.
“It’s a brave decision by the manager, he’s picked him every time he’s available so he clearly believes in the player, but I’m surprised, I must say.
“You need to be sure the captain is going to be in the team and he’s on borrowed time. There are others in that group, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Dani Ceballos, who are starting to progress, so if Xhaka is still going to be a permanent fixture than I’m surprised by that.
“I would have gone for Aubameyang, he would have been a pretty good fit. It might have given him a little more extra responsibility. He’s doing fantastically well at the moment and he’s secure in the team, he’s a regular.”
Verdict:
Granit Xhaka is someone who divides opinion amongst the Arsenal fans and this is mainly due to his limited abilities on the pitch. And this summer there had been a lot of talks of him moving out of the club.
While Unai Emery has clearly favoured him during the first few games of the new season but he has already made a few during these games.
With the captain’s armband on him, the focus will be even more on him and right now even the slightest errors will bubble up.
